Raw Stages offers a look at works in progress

"Oh, yes. I offered the playwright suggestions on this while it was still in development."

If you've ever wanted to be able to say that, Raw Stages at the History Theatre might be your chance.

Called "a festival of works in progress," Raw Stages opens Monday, Jan. 7, and features staged readings of six scripts through Jan. 12. St. Paul's History Theatre has commissioned, developed and produced 112 new works for the professional stage in the last 35 years.

Some of the plays you see may wind up on the History Theatre's stage in the next season and some are seen in Raw Stages multiple times before appearing on stage. And, of course, occasionally a script never makes it past the staged reading phase.

This season, five of the six scripts that will be part of Raw Stages have never had a public reading. "38: The Dakota-U.S. War" was read as part of the Raw Stages Series in the 2011-12 season, and will be read at the Minnesota History Center, which is currently showing the exhibit titled "U.S.-Dakota War of 1862."

Of the six scripts, two are tentatively scheduled to be part of History Theatre's 2013-14 season.

Here's the schedule:

7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7: "God Girl," written by Kristine Holmgen, directed by Austene Van -- At Princeton Theological Seminary in 1976, dealistic Kris Holmgren joins the first large population of women seeking ordination into the Presbyterian ministry.

7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan.

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8: "Debutante Ball," written by Eric "Pogi" Sumangil, directed by Rick Shiomi -- Every year around Valentine's Day, young people from the local Filipino community get together for the annual Debutantes' Ball. Through hip-hop and Filipino kundimans (love songs), this play explores the struggles between tradition and assimilation, parental pressure and independence and the virtue of a DJ over a band.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9: "Augie," written by Joe Minjares, directed by Raul Ramos -- Meet St. Paul's Augie Garcia, "The Godfather of Minnesota Rock & Roll." Augie was a Korean war veteran and local music legend who threatened to upstage The King when he opened for Elvis Presley at the St. Paul Auditorium in 1956.

7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10: "Jackie, Jack & The Kid," written by Eric Simonson, directed by Ron Peluso -- At age 10, Ronnie Rabinovitz met Jackie Robinson, his baseball hero and started a 17-year letter correspondence and friendship that lasted until Robinson's death in 1972. At the same time, Ronnie's dad was working to get Jack Kennedy elected president. A young boy in Wisconsin was witness to the intersection of the political process, a social movement and baseball. (Scheduled to be part of the 2013-14 season.)

7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11: "Working Boys Band," written by Dominic Orlando, music by Hiram Titus, directed by Ron Peluso -- A new musical about the "city band of young boys" created by a group of Minneapolis businessmen to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. The group became a city-wide institution that lasted into the middle of the 20th century. (Scheduled to be part of the 2013-14 season.)

2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12: "38: The Dakota-U.S. War," written by Rob Thomas, directed by Rhiana Yazzie -- In 1862 Mankato was the site of the largest mass execution in American history. What followed was an exile of the Dakota people from their ancestral tribal lands. This new play explores the events leading up to the Dakota-U.S. War. It will be presented at the Minnesota History Center. -- Pioneer Press